by Rachel Burns
“What’s going on?”
“Brianna’s water broke at the first crack of lightning,” Charles answered him.
“I think our son is afraid of lightning. He wants me to hold him.” Brianna tried to smile at her husband, but she felt the pain building again. She dropped to her knees.
“I don’t believe it. That was just two minutes apart,” Karen called out. “And I almost went home.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. He knelt down in front of his wife. “Brianna, remember the doctor said you were going to have a C-section on Monday morning.”
Charles snickered and turned away.
All three women looked at him like he had lost his mind.
“What do you suggest I do? Should I hold him in and merely suffer all weekend,” Brianna snapped at him.
“Umm no. Of course not. I’ll call the hospital.”
“The phones are dead, Scott,” his mother informed him.
“Then I’ll drive her to the hospital.”
Brianna nodded at him. She had wanted to go to the hospital as soon as all of this started, but the others told her it was too late.
“Scott, we are going to stay right here where it’s warm. My grandson will not be born in a car or on the side of the road in a thunderstorm.”
“Scott, hold my hand.” Brianna was still kneeling on the floor, and she reached up to him.
Scott took her hand. She was panting in pain. “I’m so sorry I did this to you. Brianna, talk to me.”
Brianna looked up at him and screamed out.
Scott tightened his grip on her. He feared she was dying, and he wanted to hold her in place. “I’ll get you to the hospital. They will help you, darling.”
“Scott, I came from the hospital. The roads are flooded. I hardly made it here. We would never make it. She is better off here. This is going to go very fast.”
Brianna screamed again.
“Do you feel like you have to push, baby?” Eva asked.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scream. It just came out of me.”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything, or for anything that may happen. Do what you must to work your way through the pain.” Karen took off her watch and went into Brianna’s bathroom to wash her hands.
“The water still works,” she called out as she washed her hands.
“Scott, I need to get some sheets. Can you take over with her?” Eva asked.
Brianna was panting and trying to crawl to her bed. Her body cramped up, and she screamed out again.
Scott picked her up and laid her on the bed. “I’m never going to touch you again.”
Charles had to laugh aloud. “Sorry. I’ll go look for some more candles.” He left the room, thinking his son-in-law was making promises he could never keep.
Charles stopped a moment. He was positive Brianna would live. It was obvious she would. He would have his daughter and his grandchild. Charles felt it in his heart.
The bad thing about her constantly surprising him with her strength was that he wasn’t surprised by it anymore.
Brianna had been pushing for almost an hour now. Karen was trying to get her to push harder, but Brianna was getting tired.
Scott hated himself in the meantime. What man could cause his wife so much pain? He was a selfish jerk. “I’m sorry, darling. Please, don’t die. Stay with me, Brianna.” Scott was holding her hands. He could feel that she was getting weaker.
“Shut up, Scott.” Brianna was having another contraction. She pushed with all of her might, squeezing Scott’s hands. She lifted up her upper body, but then the contraction was over. Exhausted, she fell back on her pillow.
“Come on, Brianna. You can do better than that.”
“Don’t yell at her. She is doing her best,” Scott snapped at his mother.
“I’m this close to kicking you out,” Karen told him.
“Brianna needs me.”
“Just hold my hands.” Brianna was starting to sit up again. She pushed as best she could before she had to lie down again. “Why is this taking so long?” she asked in despair.
“This is completely normal. You are doing great. Still, I think it would be better for the baby to be born soon.”
Several feeble attempts later, Karen started to panic. “Scott, I need your help.” She gave her son a look that told him he needed to be strong. “You have to push on her stomach on the next contraction. Here,” she showed him how she wanted him to push.
“I can’t do that.”
“You have to. Your son needs your help, now.” She pleaded with her eyes.
Scott nodded. Brianna was so weak in the meantime that it scared him. He would save both of them.
Brianna moaned.
“Hold my hands, baby.” Eva held her hands out to her daughter who clasped onto them and squeezed them hard.
Scott took position and prayed he wasn’t doing any harm.
“Now!” Karen called out.
Brianna and Scott pushed together.
Then they heard a cry. Brianna dropped back down on her pillow, trying to catch her breath.
Karen handed the baby to his father. “It’s a boy. You’re a dad.” Her eyes were filled with tears.
“You did well, my little treasure. You did real well.” Eva petted over Brianna’s face.
“Good night. I want to sleep now.”
“Not yet, Brianna. I’m not finished with you. Besides, you want to say hello to your healthy son, don’t you?”
“Is he honestly healthy, like Scott? Please, don’t let him be sickly like me.”
“Sickly?” Scott said. “You are the strongest person I know.” Scott lifted up the baby, so she could see him. “This is our son, Alex. Alex, this is your mother, the most amazing person I know.”
There was a loud knock at the door. They heard Charles answering it. “It’s the other grandpa. Your third grandson was just born, not even five minutes ago. Come in my office, we’ll have something to drink and celebrate while the kids say hello to their baby.”
Two weeks later, Brianna paced back and forth behind Alex’s pediatrician. “Everything looks fine. You can see his heart on the screen. The beat is sure and steady. I can’t see any leakage. As I told you before, the chance of him having the same heart condition as you do, would be very rare. He’s perfect. That’s exactly what I wanted to see. You don’t have to worry, Mrs. Greene. Your son is as healthy as a horse.”
Brianna sighed relieved. This procedure wasn’t covered by their health care. She had secretly gone to her father and asked him for the money. He had gladly given it to her, so she would have peace of mind.
She went to her son and beamed at him while she redressed him.
“Tell me, how have you been feeling?” The doctor asked. He had been her pediatrician too.
“Tired. I’ll be glad when he is sleeping through the night. The baptism is this weekend. I’m hoping things will settle down after that.”
“You know you need to get your rest.”
“Don’t worry. My husband has been keeping a protocol. I have to sleep eight hours every day.” She didn’t tell the good doctor she would get a spanking if she didn’t. She didn’t genuinely believe Scott would do that. It was simply his favorite threat.
“Alex’s godparents take him a lot too. They have moved to town. I think you may know him. Chandler Bentley started working here last month, that’s him. I think they want to have a baby too. They are so much help.”
“I heard about him. A lot of the young nurses talk about him. I didn’t know he was married.”
“Not yet, but in a couple of months. The wedding plans are in full swing, now that Cathy’s cast is off. In fact, they’re going to his parents’ house next weekend. Cathy hasn’t met them yet.”
“I heard that he is rich, like extremely rich.”
Brianna smiled. She had known her doctor so long that they could chitchat like this. “You heard right.”
Chapter 27 – Meeting His Parents
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Cathy’s eyes grew as she looked at her mother. The house Chandler was parking in front of was huge.
It looked like something out of an old movie about the civil war. The driveway had been perfectly straight and gone on for miles. The house was surrounded with perfectly cut boxwood bushes. Other plants were also there, giving the arrangement of plants some color.
Chandler got out of the car, and a man in a suit appeared seemingly out of nowhere to take Chandler’s keys.
“What have I gotten myself into?” Cathy whispered into her mother’s ear.
Chandler looked at Cathy to see what she would say about this. Would she think it was all too much and leave him?
Cathy gave him a reassuring smile. She knew all about his relationship to his parents. She also knew her parents were along in the hopes of not having to come back soon again.
Chandler hoped his parents wouldn’t say anything that might hurt Cathy’s feelings. “Here goes nothing,” he said. He walked up to the door and rang the bell.
“You have to ring the doorbell at your parents’ house?” Cathy said what her parents were also thinking.
Chandler shrugged at Cathy. He felt like apologizing in advance for whatever his parents might say.
A maid in uniform opened the door. “Hello, Mr. Bentley. Please, come in. Mr. and Mrs. Bentley are awaiting you in the library.”
“Thank you.”
“Hi,” Cathy said to the maid, making Chandler grin.
“Good afternoon, ma’am.” The maid gave John and Karen a nod, and then she went off.
“Follow me.” Chandler led his Cathy and his soon-to-be in-laws into the library. “Mother, father, how nice to see you again.” He went to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he shook his father’s hand.
“I have someone I want you to meet. This is my fiancée Cathy.” Chandler said proudly.
Cathy stepped forward and shook their hands.
“And these are her parents, John and Karen.” Chandler stood back while everyone shook hands and very politely said hello. He had such a bad feeling about this. He loved his Cathy just the way she was, but it would be easier to introduce her to his parents if she were an astronaut, and her parents were oil billionaires.
His father got everyone a drink, and they all sat down on the sofas by the fireplace.
“Cathy, tell us about yourself.” Chandler’s mother looked Cathy up and down as she spoke.
Karen was starting to squint her eyes. She would jump in and defend her daughter if Mrs. Bentley did anything to hurt Cathy’s feelings.
“I’m a registered nurse. Chandler and I work at the same hospital. However, we met in Birmingham.”
“Fascinating. The thing that surprises me is how quickly you two want to get married.”
Cathy looked over at Chandler. They had been engaged for months already.
Mrs. Bentley followed Cathy’s eyes over to Chandler.
“We have known each other for a couple of years, and we have been engaged for a while too.”
“Why did we first hear about the engagement a couple of weeks ago?” She smiled at him, but her eyes were trying to burn holes into him.
“Cathy broke her leg recently. I didn’t want to tell you about the engagement and then have to tell you, you couldn’t meet her right away because of the injury. I didn’t want to tease you.”
“You broke your leg,” his mother repeated. “Was it a skiing accident?”
“Umm, no. I got hit by a car,” Cathy confessed, feeling like an idiot.
“Oh my. How did that happen?” Mrs. Bentley’s hand went to her heart.
“Like the chicken, I was trying to get to the other side of the road.” Cathy smiled, trying to made light of the situation. She felt this wasn’t getting off to a good start.
“It was right in front of the hospital. She was on her way to see Chandler.” Karen felt a need to turn things around. She was so glad her daughter didn’t have to meet these people all by herself.
The short talk went on for a long time. It was painful, and it was clear Chandler’s mother wasn’t impressed with them.
Things stayed tense until Mr. Bentley offered to take them on a tour of the house. Everyone stood eager to leave the uncomfortable atmosphere in this room.
“Chandler, do you have a moment for me?” his mother asked. The others left.
Chandler’s body stiffened as he waited for the blow to come.
“I think she is a very nice girl.”
“So do I, Mother. I can only agree with you wholeheartedly.”
“Still, do you think she is up to our standard?”
“No, she definitely isn’t. She is much better people than we are. I feel lucky someone like her even considered a pompous jerk like myself.”
“Chandler, this isn’t a joking manner. Her people come from a farm.”
“They aren’t farmers. They live on an old farm. They have lots of land. See it positively.”
“Is this some game to get our attention? Trust me, you have it.”
“No, Mother. I brought home the only woman I have ever loved. I want you to meet her. I’m not here to ask your opinion about her.”
“Chandler, she is so obviously beneath you. I fear she only wants to marry you for your money.”
“Don’t worry about her. I know her better than I know you.”
Mrs. Bentley pursed her lips together mad. “Chandler, I’m afraid I have to put my foot down. If you marry her, you are disinherited.”
“Fine.” Chandler turned away from his mother and went out into the hall. He saw the others looking at paintings in the hallway. John, Karen and his father were all in earshot. They had to have heard what had been said.
“I believe we could call it a day,” Chandler announced.
“One moment, Chandler,” Mr. Bentley stopped him. “I just heard something that interested me.” He turned, so he was looking at John and Karen. “Mr. Greene said if his wife acted as badly as your mother just did, he would spank the daylights out of her. I repeat, the daylights. Did you mean that?”
John could feel blood rushing to his face. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Cathy was still looking at old pictures of Chandler as a baby on the far wall. “Yes, I did. I believe a man has to take responsibility for his family.”
“Do you also believe that, Chandler?” Mr. Bentley asked his son.
“Cathy and I have discussed that topic. Our decision on the matter is, of course, private.”
Mr. Bentley was nodding to himself. “I know you are listening, Lisa. You can come out now.”
Mrs. Bentley exited the room with her head held high. “I acted to the best of my conscience.”
“Don’t you remember where I found you? Don’t you remember meeting my parents? They didn’t approve of you either, but I said I would marry you or no one. I married you. You were already three months along with Chandler.”
Mr. Bentley turned to his son. “We lived in a tiny apartment, and we hardly had any money. It was the happiest time of my life. I learned things in that time you couldn’t read in a book, or learn at an expensive school. I had great life-changing experiences. We fought together to survive. I’m not kidding you. Paying rent and buying food is very hard to do when you don’t have a job.
“Things changed when you were born. My mother swallowed her pride and brought us here. I had to work for the family business. I was gone a lot. The sad thing was Lisa was so thankful she copied my mother’s stuck up ways. I won’t let history be repeated. It wouldn’t work anyway because you have a high paying job, and your fiancée works too. The truth is you don’t need us. Nevertheless, I would like to be a part of your life, now. If you two have children, I want them to recognize me.”
Chandler’s jaw dropped. He looked at his mother in shock.
“I have worked very hard to make more out of myself. I did it, so you would have a better life than I did.”
“I have a good life, because of her.” They all l
ooked over at Cathy. She was walking back towards them with a huge smile on her face. She linked her arm in Chandler’s. “I was looking at your pictures. You were such a cute baby.”
“Aren’t I still cute?” he automatically teased her.
“Of course you are. Did I miss anything?” she asked.
“No, Cathy. We can start the tour now. I want you to call me Carlton.” He held his arm out to Cathy. “After the tour, we will grill some steaks, and my wife will tend the bar for us. Isn’t that right, Lisa? I’ll have you know she used to be a bartender at the best club in downtown Memphis. All the men hit on her, but I was the guy who got her in the end. Isn’t that right, darling, in the end I got you.” His pun/threat wasn’t lost on her.
They actually ended up getting along. Lisa mixed drinks, twirling the shaker in her hand. The three men made the steaks and talked.
When they heard where the Green’s came from, they asked if they knew the Banks family.
John was proud to announce that they not only knew them, but they were family. They bragged about their grandson Alex.
Lisa giggled feeling a little tipsy. She and Cathy talked about silverware patterns and porcelain plates. Lisa wanted Cathy to register for gifts. Karen couldn’t believe the three hundred and sixty degree change in Lisa. The threat of a spanking was working wonders on her.
The wedding was going to be huge. They decided to hold it here on the estate. Carlton promised Chandler a lot of money as a wedding gift. In fact, they started talking about building a house. It had to be something up to the Bentley standard.
Cathy’s jaw fell as the dream house plans got larger and larger. “I don’t want to clean a house of that size,” she told them.
“You can hire people to do that for you,” Lisa told her.
“I don’t want to hire people.”
In the end, they toned down the size of the house and Cathy agreed to have a maid come in a couple of times a week. Her head was spinning, and it still hadn’t come to a stand still.
